Microsoft release a touch-friendly version of Office apps (Word, Powerpoint, Excel) to iOS devices earlier this year, while making the bundled Office Suite a free download for Android users. There have been rumors floating around about when Microsoft would finally break down and release their office apps on another platform, especially on the Android side of the fence, but after the earlier announcement Android users were still left wondering when or if it would ever happen. Read more

Asus is expected to launch its Transformer Pad TF502T soon— the tablet will be extremely similar to the company’s VivoTab RT TF600T in design and specs, but will run Android rather than Windows 8.

It is expected to be 8.3mm-thin, will feature a 10.1-inch Super IPS+ display with 1366 x 768 pixels, a keyboard dock, the NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor, NFC capabilities, an 8MP shooter,2GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, 32GB of Asus WebStorage for three years, and will ship with Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean.

The Windows counterpart of the device is currently going for $299.99 on Amazon, so the Android-powered version, considering its similar specs, should go for around the same price. Release/announcement date is still unannounced.

Do you need remote access to your home or work Windows 8 (or 8.1) computer? Well it’s not all that hard to setup. Microsoft recently released their official Remote Desktop app and this guide will help you set things up. You will not only be able to access your home or work computer remotely from your Android phone or tablet, but you will also be able to from an iOS device as well. Hit the break for the step-by-step instructions.

A new Asus tablet just passed through the halls of the FCC, which is able to dual-boot into both Windows 8 and Android 4.4, much like its previously released Transformer Book Trio.

The tablet currently has three model names, M82T, L82T, and R82T— the difference in the variants are unknown to us at this point. The tablet should pack an Intel Atom Bay Trail CPU, which could be either the Z3740 or the Z3770. The battery is 2910mAh, and internal storage should be offered in both 32GB or 64GB.

Just by looking at it, it seems that it could be a 7-inch display, but screen size and resolution were not mentioned.

A Windows-only variant of the device actually has three model numbers, M80T, L80T, R80T, while an Android-only variant also has three model numbers, M81T, L81T, R81T. Again, differences between Windows-only and Android-only model numbers (separately) are unknown to us at this point.

We could see the tablets at CES, but all other information is relatively hidden as of now.

Google’s making headway these days pushing an app ecosystem out of the web browser and straight onto your desktop. It would seem that Google’s push to control the desktop doesn’t just stop with Chromebooks and full fledged desktop apps however. With the latest dev channel update of Chrome, Google is adding Chrome OS elements to the browser. When activated in Metro Mode, the browser acts just Chrome OS. You can drag, minimize or even expand windows. Heck, the app launcher is there as well allowing you to launch apps and shortcuts just as you would normally.

Windows 8 allows browsers, if they’re set to default, to run in a Metro environment. Although, it cannot be extended to Windows RT, aka the mobile version of Windows. Given that it was discovered and currently resides in the dev channel of Chrome, there are bugs and glitches. Even as such, it appears that Google has made its intentions perfectly clear. Even with the popularity in an ever increasing mobile ecosystem, Google wants to push its desktop ecosystem as well.

Tablet computers are no doubt sweet, but you know what’s even sweeter? Devices like the ASUS Transformer Book Trio that happen to run two operating systems at the same time. Yes, you read that right folks— the ASUS Transformer Book Trio is a special tablet that utilizes more than one operating system at the same time. So here’s the quick rundown of this new toy: it’s a tablet that can connect to a special keyboard dock, allowing it to function as a de facto laptop. Once the tablet is connected to the keyboard, all users will need to do is literally push a button and the dual-OS mode is then enabled— otherwise, the standalone tablet will function as your typical run-of-the-mill tablet.

In order to power two OSes at the same time, you have to have some meat on the inside— and ASUS certainly delivers. Right off the bat, the tablet features a Intel Core-i7 4500U processor in order to handle the Windows OS, while the 2GHz Intel Atom Z2580 chip will power the Android OS. Rounding out the device are a sexy IPS display Full HD display with a 1920 x 1080 resolution and up to 64GB storage standard. There’s no word yet on pricing and availability just yet, but expect additional details to be revealed as the device gets closer to hitting store shelves.

BlueStacks, the mobile software company that helps you run Android apps on Windows 7 and Mac OSX devices, announced a new version today that includes support for Surface Pro devices and Windows 8. BlueStacks is available as a free download which new Windows 8 and Surface Pro users can get from a new site: GetYourAppsBack.com. BlueStacks reports they have recorded 5 million downloads of their software just from their site. They have also been working hard to develop OEM partnerships, like they recently announced with Lenovo, which has yielded download numbers “as strong or stronger” than from their own site.

Once installed, Windows 8 and Surface Pro users can install apps from their phone and run them fullscreen with full touch-enabled capability. Check out the video and full press release after the break. Read more

With AMD already being the first major company to team up with Bluestacks in an effort to bring Android applications to the PC, Lenovo has followed suit. The computer manufacturer has announced a partnership with Bluestacks to bring the Android App Player to all current and future Windows 8 PCs. This means users will have the ability to sync their most-used applications and even swap SMS messages between their computer and smartphone. Unfortunately, there’s no word on when the new software will launch, so it looks like we’ll have to keep our fingers crossed. In the meantime, you can catch the company’s official press release below.

Last night Google released its long-awaited Google Maps app for its biggest competitor: IOS. However, just because the Mountain View company is developing apps for the “dark side”, doesn’t mean that everyone is going to get in on the Google-goodness. Recently, Google Apps product management director, Clay Bavor, announced that the Google team has no plans to develop apps for Microsoft’s new Windows 8 platform. According to Bavor, Google is very careful with their resources and time, and right now users “are not on Windows Phone or Windows 8.” This comes as a hard blow to the already fledgling platform. However, Bavor did leave the door open for reconsideration and said they’d keep an eye on Windows 8’s sales and market performance. As our Editor In Chief, Robert Nazarian, posted earlier this morning, Google is willing to develop apps even for its competition if it means increased revenue and ad sales, but right now, it seems Windows 8 isn’t even worth their time.

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past few days, you’re probably well-aware of the upcoming Microsoft Surface tablet. Dubbed as one of the saviors for Microsoft’s rapidly degrading brand, the Surface tablet has already been identified as the true iPad and Android tablet challenger. With its thin profile and abundant storage space (comes in 32GB or 64GB configurations with an expandable storage slot), the Surface tablet will have at least the physical features to make it an interesting product. However, the hardware is just one aspect of the tablet— the real kicker is Microsoft’s brand-new OS: Surface for Windows RT technology. The OS will essentially mirror its upcoming Windows 8 OS, while having exclusive offerings like Microsoft Office 2013 and a special version of Netflix included with the tablet. So in essence, upcoming Surface tablet seems to be a true productivity workhorse— at least on the surface (no pun intended folks).

Now while the upcoming Surface tablet certainly looks to be an interesting and perhaps attractive product, Microsoft is treading into dangerous territory. As RIM and certainly HP can attest, Google’s Android platform has a clear stranglehold of the tablet market share— something that both the Blackberry Playbook and HP’s TouchPad certainly couldn’t achieve during their brief lives. Consumers love seeing a new product, but expect reasonable value of what a product offers. The Surface tablet is going to debut at $499 for the 32GB entry-level model– which doesn’t even include the $130 Touch Cover keyboard/cover combo that’s necessary helpful for doing all that increased productivity like using Microsoft Office 2013, as Microsoft is hyping. As indicated by numerous studies, the number of iPad and Android tablets are growing at an astronomical pace. Oh and don’t forget– newer Android tablets are being released on a seemingly daily basis and the prices of the those tablets (and subsequent accessories) are becoming much more reasonable— if not lower overall. So considering Microsoft is certainly unproven, while Apple and more importantly— Android have a clear understanding of not just what consumers want, but what consumers actually need in a tablet— Microsoft doesn’t offer any compelling reason for why consumers should give their product a try. Microsoft’s Surface tablet is a painfully basic product that has a premium price won’t even put a dent in Android sales or overall market share.